When filling material is filled into sausage casings, the filling material is ejected from the filling tube end under pressure and is compressed in the entire conveying area from the filling pump to the filling tube end. If the filling process is interrupted, e.g. for pulling a new ruffled casing onto the filling tube, the filling material contained in the filling tube relaxes also due to an air content of approx. 0.5 to 12%. Since the filling material can only relax in one direction, viz. through the filling tube end, filling material will exit from the filling tube end, possibly also due to the viscosity of the filling material. Depending on its consistency, said filling material forms a kind of filling material plait or drop, which will first hang down from the filling tube end. Due to the force of gravity and/or movements of the filling tube in the filling machine, the filling material plait finally drops, adheres at unforeseeable points to the machine, which becomes more and more dirty, and/or contaminates ruffled casings which are to be pulled on. Some ruffled casings are very sensitive to externally adhering filling material and moisture penetrating into the respective casing from said filling material. This may result in malfunctions, such as bursting of the casing and weight fluctuations during filling processes.
Filling machines are known, in which, inter alia for these reasons, at least one wiper element is used, which, in a relative movement between the filling tube end and the wiper element, wipes off the filling material plait and casts it away in a normally uncontrolled manner unless it does not initially adhere to it. Cast-away filling material contaminates the filling machine and may contaminate ruffled casings to be pulled on. Filling material that adhered to the wiper element may perhaps be reapplied to a filling tube or the filling tube during the next wiping process and is thus transferred to new ruffled casings to be pulled on.